sting

[ sting ]

/ stɪŋ /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: sting / stinging / stung on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), stung

[stuhng] /stʌŋ/ or (Obsolete) stang

[stang]; /stæŋ/; stung; sting·ing.

to prick or wound with a sharp-pointed, often venom-bearing organ.

to affect painfully or irritatingly as a result of contact, as certain plants do: to be stung by nettles.

to cause to smart or to cause a sharp pain: The blowing sand stung his eyes.

to cause mental or moral anguish: to be stung with remorse.

to goad or drive, as by sharp irritation.

Slang. to cheat or take advantage of, especially to overcharge; soak.

verb (used without object), stung

[stuhng] /stʌŋ/ or (Obsolete) stang

[stang]; /stæŋ/; stung; sting·ing.

to use, have, or wound with a sting, as bees.

to cause a sharp, smarting pain, as some plants, an acrid liquid or gas, or a slap or hit.

to cause acute mental pain or irritation, as annoying thoughts or one's conscience: The memory of that insult still stings.

to feel acute mental pain or irritation: He was stinging from the blow to his pride.

to feel a smarting pain, as from a blow or the sting of an insect:His cheeks stung from the hail.

noun

an act or instance of stinging:The allergic reaction to a sting may be delayed for several hours.

a wound, pain, or smart caused by stinging:After an hour or so, the throbbing of the wasp sting subsided to a dull ache.

any sharp physical or mental wound, hurt, or pain:Laser treatment for wrinkles sounds like magic, but some people can’t tolerate the accompanying sting and burn.

anything or an element in anything that wounds, pains, or irritates: to feel the sting of defeat;Death, where is thy sting?

capacity to wound or pain: Satire has a sting.

a sharp stimulus or incitement: driven by the sting of jealousy;the sting of ambition.

Botany. a glandular hair on certain plants, as nettles, that emits an irritating fluid.

Zoology. any of various sharp-pointed, often venom-bearing organs of insects and other animals capable of inflicting painful or dangerous wounds.

Slang.

confidence game.
an ostensibly illegal operation, as the buying of stolen goods or the bribing of public officials, used by undercover investigators to collect evidence of wrongdoing.

Television.Sometimes stinger . a brief burst of music or a sound effect used to emphasize a moment of humor, drama, or fright in a show, or to punctuate a transition or another part of a show’s structure.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of sting

First recorded before 900; Middle English verb stingen, Old English stingan “to pierce”; cognate with Old Norse stinga “to pierce,” Gothic -stangan (in usstangan “to pull out”); the noun is derivative of the verb

OTHER WORDS FROM sting

sting·ing·ly, adverbsting·less, adjectiveout·sting, verb (used with object), out·stung, out·sting·ing.re·sting, verb, re·stung, re·sting·ing.

un·sting·ing, adjectiveun·sting·ing·ly, adverb

Words nearby sting

stimulative, stimuli, stimulus, stimy, Stine, sting, stingaree, stinger, stinginess, stinging capsule, stinging hair

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use sting in a sentence

Now, as female-founded businesses feel the sting of the pandemic, it’s up to these large institutional backers to get us to the next stage.
Institutional investors must take action on diversity in venture capital|ehinchliffe|August 31, 2020|Fortune
While the company wouldn’t say how much revenue that equals or what base the growth was from, that lift had to take some of the sting out of cratering ad sales figures.
How Hearst UK’s e-commerce revenue grew 322% during the second quarter|Lucinda Southern|August 21, 2020|Digiday
People who blunder too close can get painful stings, says Bob Jacobson.
What you need to know about ‘murder hornets’|Susan Milius|July 20, 2020|Science News For Students
Less-quoted parts of this report from Japan point out that of the 15 people hospitalized for stings and discussed in the paper, those with fewer than 50 stings had a good chance of surviving.
What you need to know about ‘murder hornets’|Susan Milius|July 20, 2020|Science News For Students

Schmidt has spent decades recording how painful he finds various stings.
What you need to know about ‘murder hornets’|Susan Milius|July 20, 2020|Science News For Students
Sting took over the lead role to try to draw an audience, but his thumpingly inspirational score was already the hero of the show.
Hedwig, Hugh & Michael Cera: 12 Powerhouse Theater Performances of 2014|Janice Kaplan|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And unless Republicans start pursuing very different priorities in Congress, that prognosis could sting.
GOP Senate Can't Resist a ‘War on Women’|Sally Kohn|November 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The “Sunday Mirror” says it was in the ‘public interest’ to entrap a Conservative MP in an elaborate sex sting.
U.K. Tabloid Absurdly Claims ‘Public Interest’ Served in Politician’s Sex Sting|Lizzie Crocker|September 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Now Sting gets his turn, with this musical that he based on his own experiences growing up near a shipyard.
Fall Broadway Preview: 'This Is Our Youth,' Bradley Cooper as ‘The Elephant Man,' and More|Janice Kaplan|September 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Strangely, he did this by diluting the sting of the ant scene.
Whit Stillman on the 20th Anniversary of ‘Barcelona’, His New Amazon Series, and the Myth of the Ugly Expat|Michael Weiss|August 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The swift breeze seemed to Edna to bury the sting of it into the pores of her face and hands.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
We passed several large sting-rays asleep on the surface of the sea, which our people ineffectually endeavoured to harpoon.
Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia] [Volume 2 of 2]|Phillip Parker King
Did still its thorn within my bosom lodge,As I the past recalled; but shame, indeed,Left not its cruel sting within this heart.
The Poems of Giacomo Leopardi|Giacomo Leopardi
"Your bath is ready, sir," said a steward, and a minute later he felt the welcome sting of the cold salt water.
The Everlasting Arms|Joseph Hocking
There is a sharp sting in my tongue, my jaws are gripped as by a vise, and my mouth is torn open.
Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist|Alexander Berkman

British Dictionary definitions for sting

sting

/ (stɪŋ) /

verb stings, stinging or stung

(of certain animals and plants) to inflict a wound on (an organism) by the injection of poison

to feel or cause to feel a sharp mental or physical pain

(tr) to goad or incite (esp in the phrase sting into action)

(tr) informal to cheat, esp by overcharging

noun

a skin wound caused by the poison injected by certain insects or plants

pain caused by or as if by the sting of a plant or animal

a mental pain or panga sting of conscience

a sharp pointed organ, such as the ovipositor of a wasp, by which poison can be injected into the prey

the ability to stinga sharp sting in his criticism

something as painful or swift of action as a stingthe sting of death

a sharp stimulus or incitement

botany another name for stinging hair

slang a swindle or fraud

slang a trap set up by the police to entice a person to commit a crime and thereby produce evidence

sting in the tail an unexpected and unpleasant ending

Derived forms of sting

stinging, adjectivestingingly, adverbstingingness, noun

Word Origin for sting

Old English stingan; related to Old Norse stinga to pierce, Gothic usstangan to pluck out, Greek stakhus ear of corn

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with sting

sting

see take the sting out of.

sting

Origin of sting

OTHER WORDS FROM sting

Words nearby sting

Words related to sting

How to use sting in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for sting

Derived forms of sting

Word Origin for sting

Other Idioms and Phrases with sting